Purpose
The purpose of this blog will be to deconstruct the hegemonic discourse of science. This is not an attempt to undermine the legitimacy of science as a human activity among others, but rather an effort to debunk science as myth, as unquestioned source of Truth. The critiques posted here will focus on the problems of scientific method, the untenability of the metaphysical materialism, paradoxes of reductionism, and the dramatic and at times harmful effects that the cultural dominance of science has had on the poor and oppressed. In addition, an attempt will be made to examine fields of inquiry which may have been unfairly dismissed as 'unscientific' by mainstream/orthodox science and its self-proclaimed defenders; this includes but is not limited to Parapsychology, pre-Columbian visitations to the Americas (including a possible early African and Islamic presence), and evidence of advanced technology and scientific knowledge among non-Western peoples.
The title refers to Count Kekule's dream of the Ourobourous, a serpent devouring its own tail, which lead to him to infer that the Benzene molecule is circular in configuration. It is a fascinating example of the intersection of myth and science, both in the imagery it invokes and in the prevalence of the story in discussions of the philosophy of science. It is also an example of how the context of discovery is not entirely irrelevant to the sociology of science; as an educated German, Kekule's story is accepted as an appropriate anecdote illustrating that the origin of an idea is irrelevant provided that the idea can be justified scientifically. If, however, the idea had been presented by a scientist of color on the basis of a vision invoking a non-Western symbol, it is unlikely that there would have been a fair for it. Even if such as hearing were obtained and the idea justified to the satisfaction of the scientific community, it is unlikely that the story of its origin would attain much cache as an anecdote. One finds little discussion in the literature of the philosophy of science of the cultural and mythological background which led to the discovery of Zero by the Maya, for example. What discussion there is tends to focus on dismissing the achievements of non-Western peoples (Mayan, Babylonian, African) as 'non-scientific.' God willing, this blog will attempt to counter this trend.
The title refers to Count Kekule's dream of the Ourobourous, a serpent devouring its own tail, which lead to him to infer that the Benzene molecule is circular in configuration. It is a fascinating example of the intersection of myth and science, both in the imagery it invokes and in the prevalence of the story in discussions of the philosophy of science. It is also an example of how the context of discovery is not entirely irrelevant to the sociology of science; as an educated German, Kekule's story is accepted as an appropriate anecdote illustrating that the origin of an idea is irrelevant provided that the idea can be justified scientifically. If, however, the idea had been presented by a scientist of color on the basis of a vision invoking a non-Western symbol, it is unlikely that there would have been a fair for it. Even if such as hearing were obtained and the idea justified to the satisfaction of the scientific community, it is unlikely that the story of its origin would attain much cache as an anecdote. One finds little discussion in the literature of the philosophy of science of the cultural and mythological background which led to the discovery of Zero by the Maya, for example. What discussion there is tends to focus on dismissing the achievements of non-Western peoples (Mayan, Babylonian, African) as 'non-scientific.' God willing, this blog will attempt to counter this trend.
posted by Abu Mahmoud at 2:12 PM
1 Comments:
awesome. this is going to be fun.
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